Hierarchy of a Herd
Bucking Order Each herd in North of North has a bucking order, or titles for each horse in order of their importance. This is the bucking order in each herd: #Patron #King #Queen #Prince #Princess #Lady #Chatelaine #Steward #Knight #Page #Minstrelle #Jester Royalty also adds the titles Squire, Maiden and Countess as well. However, it is unclear where these titles come from, or in what order they fit into the bucking order. Titles Each herd has multiple horses designated to specific titles in order to keep the order of the Herd flowing smoothly. A few herds have elected horses to be a different position than the mandatory titles, such as the Maiden, Squire, or Countess. (Note: Many of the responsibilities of the King and Queen are switched around if the Queen inherited the position and the King was made king from being chosen and being a husband to the Queen, as the horse which has been a member of the Royal Family longer has bigger responsibilities.) King The king is arguably the most important position of them all; it is a king who rules every herd and makes final decisions (with the exception of Herd Bellasara, in which Bella rules over it as the High Queen). All of the kings have their herd's best interests in heart, unlike some real-life kings you may have learned about who didn't serve their countries well. The king is responsible for selecting members of the royal court; he dictates which horse is best suited for the position, with the exception of a few positions that are passed down by family. All in all, the king has several extremely important jobs, such as running the herd, deciding whether to go into battle, keeping peace, making decisions, and keeping the rest of the herd up to date on certain events. Responsibilities: * Running the herd * Keeping the herd well-informed * Military decisions * Discussing with members of other herds * Choosing court members * Keeping peace within the herd Queen The queen is (of course) the mate of the king. Her position is either inherited (if the first-born foal of the previous king and queen was a filly) or chosen (if the king chooses her to become queen; her previous position is often noble). Of course, the mare also gets to choose whether or not she wishes to become queen. As queen, she gets the power to oversee the herd castle's construction or repairs; she also oversees most affairs within the castle, such as making sure the herd's page is getting all of his/her jobs done. In essence, while the queen deals with affairs inside the castle walls, the king gets the responsibility of dealing with affairs outside of the castle walls. Responsibilities: * Making sure all jobs are done by the court members * Overlooking the prince(s)' and princess(es)' education, care, etc. * Keeping peace within the castle walls * Overseeing the herd castle's construction/repairs * Overseeing all garden projects * Discussing with members of other herds Prince The prince's job is really quite simple when he is young; he has little responsibilities other than standing by his family's side at public gatherings. He doesn't have real responsibilities until he turns two (human) years old, which is when the king begins to teach him how to rule over the herd - as long as he is the first born. (If he is second-born or more, he is trained to become a knight). A first-born prince's responsibilities include practicing speech, fighting, control of magical gifts, the geography of North of North, and many other academic subjects that most find boring. Responsibilities: * Learning to fight, and in most cases, to rule a herd * Practicing speech * Learning geography, manners, about other herds, and how to control his magical abilities * Making public appearances Princess The Princess's job is also quite easy when she is still young. As with the prince, she doesn't have much responsibility until age two. At that point, her parents begin teaching her to become either queen (if she is first-born) or lady (if she isn't) of the herd. The princess's responsibilities include learning manners (this is an extremely perfected trait), learning the geography of North of North, learning to read and write, and practicing speech. Responsibilities: * Practicing speech * Learning manners, geography, how to read and write, and how to control her magical abilities * Making public appearances Knight The knight of a herd has a very demanding but high-ranking position. It is either given by the King to a stallion he feels is worthy, or it is inherited by the second-born prince or a foal of one of the four Legendary horses. The Knight's job is to be at the King's side in every battle; he is in charge of all guards of the castle and is second in command over the herd's army. It is his job to know as much about the wolves and Ivenna as he can. He is almost always stationed at the main gate entrance to the herd's castle, and is always on the lookout for suspicious activity. He is a fearsome opponent in battle and is trained to be extremely quiet when he is walking, so as to sneak up on the enemy. His responsibilities are to learn how to fight, to be sneaky, to know where and when Ivenna and the wolves are planning on attacking, and many more. Responsibilities: * Learning to fight - well * Preparing battle strategies * Guarding the entrance to the castle * Knowing about Ivenna and the wolves * Learning to be very stealthy Lady Specifics of this role are unknown, but it is assumed that the Lady would assist the queen in her duties. Page Specifics of this role are unknown, but it is assumed that, like a medieval page, they assist the King, Queen, and other royalty in day to day tasks, as well as carrying messages to and from herds. Chatelaine The Chatelaine's of each herd are responsible for the herd's castle in some capacity, although the specifics or the role are vague and may vary from herd to herd. Responsibilities usually include: * In charge of the upkeep of the herd's castle, both physically and structurally * The keeper of the keys to the castle Steward Specifics of this role are unknown, but it is assumed their role is similar to the Chatelaine, most likely leaning more on the side of the physical upkeep of the castle, and making sure the castle staff and herd members have everything they need to keep castle life running smoothly. Minstrel A minstrel is the musician of a herd, in charge of playing and composing beautiful music to represent and play for the herd. They may play all kinds of instruments, whatever they prefer, and may have magical friends that help them create even more beautiful songs. Jester The jester is in charge of entertaining the herd. They are silly and fun, and their biggest goal is to make the other herd members laugh!Category:Reference